Treatments for Spider Veins
Injectable Sclerotherapy Spider Vein Treatment
If you have been researching spider vein removal or varicose veins injection treatments, you have most likely heard of sclerotherapy. This injection-based treatment is a popular choice for vein treatment, including right here at our vein clinic in Frisco Texas.
Sclerotherapy is an effective and safe way to treat varicose and spider veins. It is often the treatment of choice, especially for smaller veins, and involves injecting a solution directly into the bad vein. This solution will cause scarring within the vein and force blood to reroute through healthier ones.
Eventually, the bad vein will collapse and become reabsorbed into local tissue and fade away. This will usually happen within a few weeks, although it can take around a month to see full results.
What can sclerotherapy help with?
Sclerotherapy is an important part of treatment for veins in legs. When done correctly, such as at our vein clinic in Frisco Texas, it can relieve uncomfortable symptoms such as:
- Aching
- Burning
- Swelling
- Leg cramps
Additionally, this treatment can remove or significantly reduce the appearance of the veins, boosting both your confidence and comfort.
What are the side effects and risks of sclerotherapy?
Sclerotherapy does not have many side effects. However, a few temporary effects may occur at the injection site. These should go away within a few weeks (or sooner) such as:
- Bruising
- Small skin sores
- Discoloration of the skin
- Raised red patches
- Formation of tiny red blood vessels
It is good to be aware that treatment for veins in legs can often have some other side effects you will need to watch out. If you experience these rare results, please contact us.
- Inflammation - generally any inflammation you experience is mild, but there may be discomfort and warmth around the injection site. Typically, we will suggest an over the counter pain reliever in this case to help reduce swelling.
- Blood clot – a lump of clotted blood might form in a vein that has been treated and will need to be drained. Rarely, a clot could travel to a vein deep within the leg causing deep vein thrombosis.
- Deep vein thrombosis – this is a very rare complication and requires immediate attention. This is an emergency situation in which a clot travels from your legs to your lungs and blocks a vital artery. If you experience difficulty breathing, chest pain or dizziness, seek immediate attention.
- Air bubbles – tiny bubbles might rise within your bloodstream. Generally, there are no symptoms, but some might include fainting, nausea, headaches and eye pain. These will generally go away, but let us know if you experience any problems moving limbs after the procedure.
- Allergic reaction – as with anything, an allergic reaction might happen to the solution in the injection, but again, this is rare.
As an extra precaution, we generally recommend you wait to do this procedure if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.
How to Prepare for Sclerotherapy
Although our vein center in Frisco will go over all of this with you in detail, it can be helpful to remember how to prepare for your procedure. Here are the steps you can expect to take throughout your treatments for veins in legs or face.
- Dr. G will perform a physical exam – this is where the course of treatment is decided and you discuss your medical history. This includes discussing existing medical conditions like a heart condition or a history of blood clots plus discussing any medication or supplements you currently use.
- Review your veins – he will evaluate the trouble veins and check for any underlying chronic venous disease.
- You may receive an ultrasound – depending on the veins, Dr. Giraldo may request imaging on the veins in your leg. If you haven’t had one before, don’t worry—it’s painless!
- Prep the day before – the day before your procedure, don’t use any lotion on your legs or shave. Wear loose comfortable clothing to the appointment—we recommend shorts if possible.
- The procedure – sclerotherapy is done in-office and generally doesn’t require any anesthesia. You should be done in less than an hour in most cases. You’ll lie on your back with legs elevated, and a fine needle will be inserted into the vein to distribute solution. Your leg will be massaged and compressed to disperse the solution.
- Vein irritation - the solution will irritate the vein lining so it swells and blocks the flow of blood, rerouting it to a healthy vein instead.
- After the procedure – you will be able to get up and walk after the treatment for veins in legs occurs. Walking is important and will help prevent any blood clots from forming. You will need to wear compression socks for about two weeks afterwards. You should also plan on avoiding exercise for about two weeks as well.
- Watch your veins disappear – now the fun part…healing! Your veins will slowly disappearing after your injection therapy in Frisco, Texas. Time to go shop for shorts!
What results can I expect with sclerotherapy?
If you were treated for smaller varicose veins or spider veins you should see results in three to six weeks. Larger veins that go through vein removal in Frisco, Texas (or any other location) will take longer—about four months. If you are dealing with larger varicose veins, multiple sessions may be required.
Typically, once your veins respond to treatments they don’t come back, but it’s important to know that new veins may appear in their place. We will do a follow up visit about a month after your injections to check and see if another round is needed.
With a success rate of about 60-80% in a national study, sclerotherapy is an excellent way to treat varicose and spider veins. Come in and meet with Dr. Giraldo, the best vein doctor in Frisco and all of Dallas – Fort Worth. Your new legs await!
Vein Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA)
While we want to remove varicose veins that are painful, it is also important to find and treat the underlying cause, not just the symptoms. The radiofrequency ablation (RFA) procedure does just that.
What is radiofrequency ablation?
Radiofrequency ablation is one method of varicose vein removal in Frisco, Texas. It is a safe, proven outpatient procedure that is done in less than one hour. This method uses uniform heat to cause unhealthy veins to collapse.
What happens during a radiofrequency ablation?
Before the process begins, Dr. G, the best vein doctor in Frisco, will determine whether this is the correct method of treating your veins. Additionally, ultrasound will be used to give him a live view of everything happening within your veins for accuracy.
A small incision will be made into the skin and a catheter will be put in the diseased vein. Electric currents are used to deliver a consistent 120° Celsius heat through the catheter. This direct contact between the catheter and the vein will cause the diseased veins to collapse. Blood will then be rerouted through healthier veins. Patients will need to wear doctor-approved compression stockings afterwards for several weeks.
Does radiofrequency ablation hurt?
Most patients do not find RFA to cause excessive discomfort. The procedure is done within an hour and recovery time is just a few hours after. There may be some bruising or pain. Some people may even experience skin burns, but this is rare.
RFA is only used in certain cases and is not the correct treatment method for each patient. This is why it is important to consult with the vein centers in Frisco and get a customized treatment for veins in legs.
What Is The Difference Between Laser Ablation And Radiofrequency Ablation?
Although they are similar, minimally invasive techniques (endovascular treatments under ultrasound guidance and local anesthesia) differ in complication rates and collateral damage. Radio frequency is a much safer technique, because it uses heat related collagen contraction to close the treated vein in comparison to laser which causes severe vascular damage and blood boiling inside the treated vein.
Laser Vein Removal (Non-Invasive)
Laser spider vein removal allows individuals with unsightly and unwanted veins to have them removed safely and effectively.
Laser Vein Removal is an advanced, non-invasive method for diminishing or eliminating spider veins in the legs or face. The laser pierces the skin and penetrates the superficial blood vessel. The heat generated from the laser coagulates the blood inside the vessel, causing it to collapse and seal. Over the next few weeks, the vessel will disappear and all the blood will be removed by the body's scavenging cells. Only the very small superficial veins are treated with a laser. The skin above the veins will have a reddish, cat-scratch appearance. This generally disappears over the next two days.
For optimal results, several laser spider vein removal sessions may be necessary. If there is pain, swelling of the feet or fatigue, then the symptoms are not from spider veins. Often, a laser vein removal procedure can be thoroughly effective on its own, but in more severe cases with larger blood vessels, the treatment can also be used in tandem with another spider vein removal technique like sclerotherapy. For more severe varicose veins, vein removal surgery may be necessary.